Out of the Shadow: A Russian Jewish Girlhood on the Lower East Side

by Rose Gollup Cohen

In this appealing autobiography, Rose Cohen looks back on her family's journey from Tsarist Russia to New York City's Lower East Side. Her account of their struggles and of her own coming of age in a complex new world vividly illustrates what was, for some, the American experience. First published in 1918, Cohen's narrative conveys a powerful sense of the aspirations and frustrations of an immigrant Jewish family in an alien culture. With uncommon frankness, Cohen reports her youthful impressions of daily life in the tenements and of working conditions in garment sweatshops and domestic service. She introduces a large cast, including her co-workers, employers, mentors, family members, and friends. In simple yet moving terms, she recalls how, while confronting setbacks caused by poor health and dilemmas posed by courtship, she finds opportunities to educate herself. She also records the gradual weakening of her family's commitment to religion as they find their way from the shadow of poverty toward the mainstream of American life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Jewish, Memoir, Biography, Historical, American

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1918

About the author

Rose Gollup Cohen (1880–1925) was an author. She grew up in a village in Belarus (then part of Russia) and immigrated to the United States in 1892. She attended classes at Breadwinners' College at the Educational Alliance, the Rand School of Social Science, and University Extension at Columbia University.

In 1918 Cohen published her autobiography, Out of the Shadow: A Russian Jewish Girlhood on the Lower East Side, which was well-received and appeared in French and Russian as well as English.She also wrote five short pieces published in New York literary magazines, and three published in Philadelphia magazines, between 1918 and 1922. One short story of hers, "Natalka's Portion," was reprinted six times, and appeared in Best Short Stories of 1922.

She died under mysterious circumstances, perhaps a suicide, and Anzia Yezierska wrote a thinly veiled short story about her, called "Wild Winter Love" (1927), that ended in suicide.

Reviews

[Kathleen (itpdx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last fall, my sister and I visited New York City. While there we visited the Tenement Museum. We did a walking tour of the neighborhood and the tenement building. In this book a Russian Jewish woman describes her childhood including her life in Russia, her immigration to the New York and her life there—working in the garment industry, a short stint as a servant, contacts with the “outside world” (upper Manhattan and the countryside). Having seen a tenement, it was easy to visualize the stoops, the halls, the stairs, the rooms, the back area where the outhouses and water pump were as Rose Cohen describes them and her life there.

As the introduction by Thomas Dublin explains, this was written when Cohen was still young, when she was still struggling with her feelings toward her family, her religion and the world outside the enclosed community they lived in. It was not written forty years later from the comfort of a middle-class life. It is raw and compelling.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir paints a vivid picture of the life of an immigrant roughly around the turn of the twentieth century, tracing life from the old country to the Lower East Side, detailing many of the hardships and small joys that came with it. The author captured the struggles of toil in the garment industry and the gradual cultural assimilation that were the lot of many Jewish immigrants of the time (my own ancestors among them), but she writes with a unique perspective that was informed by her forays out of her tight-knit community due to hospitalization and sponsored summer retreats to the countryside.

[Jason Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's strange to me that this book isn't required reading. It touches on so much from workers and woman's rights to the life of immigrant Russian Jew's in New York City. One of my favorite books of all time.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 24 of my #2017readingchallenge is Rose Cohen's "Out of the Shadow: A Russian Jewish Girlhood on the Lower East Side," a book that is written by a relative of my friend Marci @marcirobin - it is her maternal grandfather's aunt.
Now, first of all, this is an incredible memoir of being an immigrant in America at the turn of the century: leaving Russia as a child (for fear of persecution), arriving in New York City very religious and then becoming a radically different, passionate, gifted, sensitive young woman. Which brings me to the second draw -- this is an early feminist work and it makes my heart swell. It is often painful, shy, humble and sad. If you love American history, I recommend it.
But it truly is knowing a descendant of Ms. Cohen that brings this to life, it made it personal. Thanks, Marci, for letting me know about your great (great) aunt.
Man, it used to be CRAZY FREAKING DIFFICULT here. My god. But the women stuck together and helped each other, supporting each other in thought and in work. Lesson for the ages.

[Riff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up this book some time ago somewhat randomly & wow!!!, what a hidden surprise. What a wonderfully written, moving, & engaging book. Absolutely wonderful. Likely one of the best books around on the immigrant experience, class issues in the US, women's rights, & many other profoundly important (& contemporary) issues. The descriptions of the horrible conditions in the sweatshops of Guided Age America as well as the antisemitism & grinding poverty Jewish immigrants faced here are particularly unflinching, memorable, & gut-wrenching. Wish this was more widely known about. WOW!

[Emily Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for Jewish American History course. Good time period piece.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look into the life of a Russian Jewish immigrant at the turn of the century, and her struggles with her health, her culture, and the world around her.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a vivid narrative of an immigrants life during the days of sweatshops. The story is compelling, in particular the struggle with remaining faithful.

[Dalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring

[Mirel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read for a cold and rainy Saturday, and did a good job of describing the Jewish immigrant in the turn of the century NYC, and how so many lost their faith.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

very educational, VERY slow to read, interesting perspective

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soooo technically i didn’t finish this but it counts if i passed the summer reading test on it right?

[Judith Singer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autobiography of a woman who emigrated from Russia to NYC in 1896. Her detailed depictions of the poverty she and her family endured, the grinding demands of work in a sweatshop and the pervasive despair of hopelessness are enlightening. Yet the book overall is appealing despite its grimness due to Rose's honesty about herself and the moments of light she is able to find. Most books about growing up as a Jewish immigrant in the Lower East Side gloss over the harsh realities. This book brings us face to face with them, from the backbreaking labor of sitting hunched over her stitching 12 hours/day (at age 12) in close quarters with a dozen others with little light or air, to the former skilled worker she sees rooting through garbage for food in the Depression of 1897.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a number of book about tenement life on the Lower East Side and this one was recommended to me by one of the guides at the Tenement Museum in New York. Certainly very informative and good to read a book written by a woman, seeing life from the female side, about going out to work at an early age and the conditions in the "sweatshops" of the time, however some important dates were missing in retracing her life and I have to say that I did not find Rose/Ruth a very likeable person as she grow older, which took some of the appeal from the book away.

[Samira]

I suspect that this is the book I will use--I think that it contains what was the best of the Bread givers and the Promised Land. It also saves me from talking aabout a novel has a historical document, which I appreciate.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good companion to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - memoir of a 12-year-old Russian Jewish immigrant whose father puts her to work in sweatshops to help pay their family's way over to America in 1892. It is so interesting because she is not unique or special; this is just the way it was. Crazy!

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember this book at all... don't quote me on saying it's okay.

[kylajaclyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

In parts interesting, but on the whole a snoozer.
I had to read this for my Women in U.S. History class.

[Luaunna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy memoirs of turn on the century immigrants. I enjoyed the memories. I try to put myself in that time period, one of my favorite.

[Terrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story of a Russian Jewish immigrant girl living in America at the turn of the century. Very well written.